Exercising apparatus and method



Oct. 16, 1962 c. A. WYATT 3,058,459

EXERCISING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed Aug. 24, 1961 J13! FIGJ [20 4 I /7 FIG.3

INVENTOR A /3 CHESTER A.WYATT HIS ATTORNEY FIG.2

United States Patent 3,158,459 EXERCISING APPARATUS AND IVETHQD Chester A. Wyatt, 1634 Gondert Ave., Dayton 31, Ohio Filed Aug. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 133,627 11 Claims. (Cl. 12825) This invention relates to improved methods and apparatus for exercising the human body or the like.

One of the features of this invention is to impart novel movement to a part of the human body so that at least that part of the human body will be exercised whereby a person can exercise in a relatively short time and in a relatively small confining space according to the teachings of this invention so that ordinary types of exercising are not needed to keep a persons body in shape.

In particular, the apparatus of this invention includes a frame structure so constructed and arranged that a person is adapted to stand erect in a compartment of the frame structure and reach out and grasp grasping mem bers of the frame structure so that an attaching means of the exercising apparatus can encircle his body in the region of the hips thereof and be moved in a horizontally disposed orbital path. During such movement of the at taching means of the exercising apparatus, the person exercising tries to oppose such orbital movement of the attaching means with the muscles of his body in the region of the part of the body to be exercised.

In this manner, the person can exercise any desired part of his body in a relatively short time by the apparatus and method of this invention.

Therefore, it can be seen that the exercising apparatus of this invention can not only be readily utilized in the home, office and the like, but also can be readily utilized in confining areas such as submarines, space craft and the like to provide the necessary daily exercising of a persons body in a relatively short time.

Further, the exercising apparatus of this invention is relatively simple to manufacture whereby the overall cost of the same is relatively small and can be readily purchased at a low price.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved exercising apparatus having one or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of exercising.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from a reading of this description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the exercising apparatus of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the exercising apparatus of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the exercising apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front view of a part of the exercising apparatus of FIGURE 1.

While the various features of this invention are here inafter described and illustrated as being particularly adapted to exercise the human body of a person while that person is standing in an erect position, it is to be understood that the method and apparatus of this invention can be utilized for exercising a person disposed in any other desired position.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodiment thereof illustrated in the drawing, because the drawing is merely utilized to illustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the improved exercising apparatus of this invention is generally in- 3,958,459 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 ice dicated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a frame means or frame structure 11 formed from a plurality of tubular members, such as conventional metal piping or the like.

In particular, the frame structure or means 11 includes four vertically disposed uprights 12, 13, 14 and 15 arranged at the four corners of a rectangle or the like and suitably interconnected together by a plurality of hori zontally disposed tubular members 16 to fixedly hold the uprights 12-15 in the vertical positions thereof, the uprights 12-15 having suitable feet 17 at their lower ends thereof to mount the exercising apparatus 10 to a floor or the like.

Of course, it is to be understood, that the uprights 12- 15 could be embedded in a supporting structure or otherwise secured thereto to hold the apparatus in a fixed position while a person is exercising therewith in a manner hereinafter described.

The frame means or structure 11 is so constructed and arranged that the same defines a substantially rectangular compartment 18 in which a person can stand and reach out to grasp horizontally disposed grasping members 19 attached to the frame structure 11 by a plurality of braces 20.

A horizontally disposed rod 21 is slidably and pivotally mounted to the frame means or structure 11 intermeadiate the opposed ends 22 and 23 of the rod 21, the end 22 of the rod 21 projecting into the compartment 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

In particular, a pair of vertically disposed uprights 24 are interconnected to a pair of horizontally disposed members 16 at the rear of the compartment 18 and carry a pair of horizontally disposed bearing members 25 having aligned openings 26 passing vertically therethrough.

A substantially horizontally disposed sleeve 27 is disposed between the uprights 24- and bearing members 25 and has opposed bearing shafts '28 respectively disposed in the bores 26 of bearing members 25 whereby the sleeve 27 is pivotally mounted to the frame structure 11 and can swing through a horizontal are for a purpose here inafter described.

The sleeve 27 has a horizontally disposed bore 29 passing therethrough and receiving the rod 21 previously described.

In this manner, the rod 21 is adapted to reciprocate in the bore 29 of the sleeve 27 and the sleeve 27 is pivotally mounted to the frame structure 11 whereby the rod 21 is pivotally and slidably mounted to the frame structure 11 by the sleeve 27.

A horizontally disposed disc 30 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 31 at the rear of the frame structure 11, the shaft 31 being carried by suitable bearing members 32 secured to the frame structure 11 whereby the disc 30 is adapted to be rotated on the shaft 3 1 in a manner hereinafter described.

The end 23 of the rod 21 is pivotally attached to the disc 30 by a pin or horizontal orbit eccentric driver 33 offset relative to the axis of rotation of shaft 31 of the disc 30 whereby rotation of the disc 30 causes the pin or eccentric drive 33 to move the end 23 of rod 21 about the axis of rotation of shaft 31 and the end 22 of the rod 21 to move through a horizontally disposed orbital path in the compartment 18 of the exercising apparatus 10 for a purpose hereinafter described.

While any suitable means can be utilized to rotate the disc 30 to cause the aforementioned orbital movement of the end 22 of the rod 21, one such means is illustrated in the drawings and comprises an electrical motor 34 carried by a U-shaped bracket 35 having one end 36 thereof pivotally mounted to the frame structure 11 whereby the U-shaped bracket 35 is adapted to move 3 through a horizontal are relative to the frame structure 11 and toward and away from the disc 30.

A suitable gear reduction box 37 is interconnected to the shaft 38 of the motor "34- whereby the shaft 39 of the gear reduction means 37 will rotate at a relatively slowspeed' compared with the speed and, rotation of the shaft 38 of the motor 34 when the motor 34 is operating. 'The shaft'39 of the gear reduction means 37 carries a pulley 40 on the outer free end thereof, the pulley 40 being interconnected to the disc 30 by a continuous belt 41 whereby rotation of the disc 40 by the motor 34 causes rotation of disc 30 for the purpose previously described.

In order to maintain driving tension on the belt 41, a suitable spring 42 is interconnected to the other end 43 of the U-shaped bracket 35 and to the frame structure 11 whereby the force of the spring 42 tends to pivot the bracket 35 away from the disc 30 so that the spring 42 places the belt 41 under tension to maintain the same in driving relation with disc 30 and pulley 40.

While the relative sizes of the pulley 40 and disc 30 can vary as well as the speed of the motor 34 and the gear reduction means 37 to vary the speed of rotation of the disc 30, it is preferred that the disc rotate between 35 to 40 revolutions per minute. However, this invention is not to be limited to any particular speed.

Any suitable means are interconnected to the end 22 of the rod 21 so as to interconnect the end 22 of the rod 21 to a part of the body of the person utilizing the exercising apparatus 10. For example, a conventional buckle type belt structure 44 is illustrated in the drawings as being attached to the end 22 of the rod 21 whereby the belt 44 can encircle the body of the person to be exercised and hold that person to the end 22 of the rod 21.

, The operation of the exercising apparatus will now be described. a When a. person desires to utilize the exercising apparatus 10, the person steps into the compartment 18 thereof and straps the belt 44 about his body in the region of the hips thereof with the person either facing the disc 30 or facing away from the disc 30 as desired.

In either event, the person turns on the motor 34 and grasps the grasping members 19 with his outstretched hands whereby the slowly rotating disc 30 will cause the end 22 :of the rod 21 to move in an orbital path, the orbital path being elliptical, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, or substantially circular, depending upon the relative length of the rod 21. For example, the substantially circular path can have a diameter of approximately 7-9 inches.

Inthis manner, the body of the person utilizing the exercising apparatus 10 is moved in an orbital path by the attaching means 44, while thefeet of the person preferably remain stationary.

Thus, when the person tightens the muscles in any desired portion of his body to tend to oppose the orbital movement of the end 22 of therod 21, the orbital movement of the end 22 of the rod 21 causes the exercising apparatus 10 to exercise that particular tightened portion of the body as well as other parts thereof. However, because the person cannot actually stop the orbital movement of the end 22 of the rod 21, his body is still moved through the orbital path even though he is attempting to oppose such movement with various parts of his body.

Therefore, it can be seen that the person can exercise any desired part or all of his body in a relatively short time by tending to oppose orbital movement of the end 22 of the rod 21 while standing erect in the compartment 18' of the apparatus 10.

However, it may be found that the body will be exercised even if the, person does not actively attempt to,

oppose orbital movement of the end 22 of the rod 21 because theweight of the person itself tends to oppose such movement.

Accordingly, it can be seen that an improved apparatus and method has been provided by the invention for exercising the human body in a relatively small con fining space and in a relatively short time by a relatively inexpensive apparatus.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed as required by the statutes, other forms may be used, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

l. An exercising apparatus comprising frame means, a sleeve carried by said frame means and having a bore passing therethrough, said sleeve being pivotally mounted to said frame means to pivot in a horizontal plane, a horizontally disposed rod projecting through said bore of said sleeve and having opposed ends, means carried by one end of said rod for attachment to a part of the human body, in the region of the hips, a horizontal orbit eccentric driver rotatably carried by said frame means and being interconnected to the other end of said rod at a point offset relative to said axis of rotation and drive means operatively interconnected to said eccentric drive to rotate said eccentric drive and cause said one end of said rod to move in an orbital path lying in a horizontal plane.

2. An exercising apparatus comprising frame means, a rod carried by said frame means, said rod being slidably and pivotally carried by said frame means and having opposed ends, means carried by one end of said rod for attachment to a part of the human body in the region of the hips, a horizontal orbit eccentric driver movable about an axis of rotation and being rotatably carried by said frame means and being interconnected to the other end of said rod at a point oifset relative to the axis of rotation of said eccentric driver, and drive means operatively interconnected to said eccentric driver to rotate said eccentric driver and cause said one end of said rod to move in a substantially horizontal orbital path.

3. An exercising apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said frame means defines a compartment in which the person to be exercised stands, said orbital path of said one end of said rod being disposed substantially in said compartment.

4. An exercising apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said frame means defines grasping bars to be grasped by the person to be exercised.

5. An exercising apparatus comprising frame means, a

rod slidably and pivotally carried by said frame means and having opposed ends, means carried by one end of said rod for attachment to a part of the human body adjacent the hips, and means operatively interconnected to the other end of said rod to cause said one end of said rod to move through a horizontal orbital path.

6. An exercising apparatus comprising frame means, a rod carried by said frame means and having a free end, a belt carriedby said free end of said rod for attachment to a part of the human body adjacent the hips, and means operatively interconnected to said rod to cause said free end of said rod to move through a horizontal orbital path.

7. An exercising apparatus comprising frame means, means carried by said frame means for grasping by a hand of the human body, a belt in said frame means and means operatively interconnected to said belt to move said belt through a substantially horizontal orbital path.

8. A method for exercising at least a part of the human body adjacent the hips comprising the steps of attaching a holding means to said part of the body of the person to be exercised and independently moving said holding means through a substantially horizontal orbital path while the person exercising tries to oppose such movement.

5 6 9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said orbital person manually grasps a stationary object while said path is substantially circular. holding means moves the said part of the body through 10. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said said substantially horizontal orbital path. person keeps his feet stationary and While in a standing position attaches said holding means about his hips so 5 e c s C te In the file 0f thls patent as to move his body through said orbital path while his UNITED STATES PATENTS feet remain stationary.

11. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said 928O8S Vanderboss July 1909 

